FC Spartak Moscow is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow. Having won 12 Soviet championships and a record 10 Russian championships, it is the country's most successful club. They have also won a record 10 Soviet Cups, 4 Russian Cups and one Russian Super Cup. Spartak have also reached the semi-finals of UEFA Europa cup, UEFA Champions cup and the UEFA cup winner's cup.

The Soviet Top League, known after 1970 as the Higher League, served as the top division (tier) of Soviet Union football from 1936 until 1991. The league's name was a conditional designation used for brevity since being completely owned and governed by the Football Federation of the Soviet Union. The full official name was USSR Championship in football: Top League. An attempt to create fully professional league as autonomously governed organization during "perestroika" period was denied by Federation due to political culture in the Soviet Union.